1. Field of Invention
This invention is directed to apparatus and methods relating to programmable smart membranes and methods therefor.
2. Description of Related Art
Some related art devices include micromachined sorters. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,665, discloses a micromachined magnetic particle manipulator and separator for magnetic particles suspended in fluid.
Another micromachined sorter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,974, wherein a micro scale passive filter is disclosed having sufficiently small holes to permit the passage of small desired biomolecules and at the same time prevent the passage of all larger molecules such as antibodies.
Another related art micromachined sorter includes the passive particle sorter disclosed by M. Koch, C. Schabmueller, A. G. R. Evans, A. Brunnschweiler, xe2x80x9cA Micromachined Particle Sorter: Principle and Technologyxe2x80x9d, Tech. Digest, Eurosensors XII, Southampton, UK, Sep. 13-16, 1998.
However, these related art micromachined sorters can only sort particles by predefined features or are static/passive and thus are non-programmable.
Other related art devices include nanometer scale membranes. For example, Yoshihiro Ito, xe2x80x9cSignal-responsive Gating by a Polyelectrolyte Pelage on a Nanoporous Membranexe2x80x9d, Nanotechnology, pp 205-207, Vol. 9 No. 3, September 1998, discloses a nanometer scale active membrane wherein the rate of water permeation through the membrane is controlled by pH levels and ionic strength.
Another nanometer scale membrane is disclosed in K. Eric Drexler, xe2x80x9cNanosystem: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1992. Drexler discloses a design for a unidirectional active molecule sorter capable of transporting specific molecules across a barrier. Drexler mentions the possibility of a version of this design which can change the specificity of the transported molecules by using an elastic deformation of the receptor or altering the local charge distribution around the receptor.
Another related art nanometer scale membrane with poricity controlled by electroactive polymer actuators is described in Toribio F. Otero, Univ. del Pais Vasco, and San Sebastian, xe2x80x9cEAP as Multifunctional and Biomimetic Materialsxe2x80x9d, in Smart Structures and Materials 1999: Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices, edited by Yoseph Bar-Cohen, pp.26-34, 1999.
However, all of the related art nanometer scale membranes have filtering functions that are preset and which cannot be subsequently altered.
Related art control methods and techniques include the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,011,372, which is a unified modular system of drives and controls for mobile robotic applications. However, the robot of this modular system is not modular and the control of the robot is hierarchical.
The invention provides a programmable smart membrane and methods therefor that overcome the deficiencies and shortfalls of the prior art.
The invention provides a programmable smart membrane that is capable of being programmed so as to reject, transport, or absorb objects depending on features of the objects.
The invention separately provides the control software for a programmable smart membrane.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that separates two or more regions.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that separates a region and provides one-way filtering into or out of that region.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that separates a region and provides two-way filtering into and out of that region by transporting objects in both directions through the membrane.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that is planar.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that separates three-dimensional regions.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that works with a single object at a time.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that works with multiple objects simultaneously.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that is programmable and reprogrammable to reject, transport, or absorb objects based on a diverse set of properties of the objects.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that has diverse applications.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that sorts parts on a macro scale level.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that purifies substances and augments biochemical processes on a nanometer scale level.
The invention separately provides control software for a programmable smart membrane that includes both identical and non-identical module units.
The invention separately provides a control software for a programmable smart membrane that is generated by evolutionary techniques.
The invention separately provides decentralized control software for a programmable smart membrane.
The invention separately provides control software for a programmable smart membrane that scales with the number of module units in the membrane and the number of objects to be filtered, both in sequence and simultaneously.
The invention separately provides control software for a programmable smart membrane which is functional under various configurations of its modules and the objects to be filtered.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that includes a plurality of sliding robotic modules.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that includes a plurality of rotating robotic modules.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that includes a plurality of compressible robotic modules.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that uses control software found using a fitness function.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that can sort, filter, and/or absorb objects based on at least one following properties of the objects: color; size; shape; temperature; density; weight; stiffness; elasticity; charge; force; reflectivity; magnetic flux; conductivity; frictionality; compressibility; movement of the objects being filtered; communication with the object; the way any of the above attributes change over time; and the way any of the above attributes vary across the object.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that continues to perform a desired task in the presence of various failures or noise in or inaccuracy of sensors, motors, power, and changing or unknown environmental conditions.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that continues to perform a desired task in spite of the failure of a motor in one or several of the module units.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that continues to perform a desired task in spite of the failure of a sensor in one or several of the module units.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that continues to perform a desired task in spite of power loss in one or several of the module units.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane that continues to perform a desired task in spite of inaccurate sensor readings by sensors in one or several of the module units.
The invention separately provides a programmable smart membrane, including 2D sliding robots, that sorts objects based on color.
These and other features and advantages of this invention are described in, or are apparent from, the following detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the systems and methods according to this invention.